The present invention pertains to an air cleaner for centrifugally ejecting heavier-than-air particulate debris from an air stream. More particularly, the present invention pertains to an air cleaner for separating heavier-than-air particulate debris out of an air stream that is drawn into the device, ejecting the debris back into the environment outside of the device, and discharging the thus-cleaned air for use in an apparatus such as an internal combustion engine, a ventilation system, a heat exchanger, an air compressor, the cab of a piece of earth-moving or other equipment, or any apparatus needing a supply of clean air but operating in an environment where the air may be laden with debris.
Air cleaners are already available for separating heavier-than-air particles from air that is to be used in such applications as internal combustion engines, ventilation systems, heat exchangers, air compressors, the cabs of earth-moving equipment, or any apparatus that draws in air laden with heavier-than-air debris. Known air cleaners, while functional, do not address all the needs of the various applications. Such needs include adding no, or minimal, air intake restriction, while providing high particle separating efficiency over the broad airflow range with which they are used.
The present invention is an improved air cleaner apparatus for centrifugally ejecting heavier-than-air particulate debris from an air stream and delivering clean air with no, or minimal, airflow restriction, to an area or an apparatus on which the air cleaner is installed, while overcoming disadvantages of known air cleaners. The improved air cleaner device of the present invention meets or exceeds the requirements for use in connection with an inline airflow provider for any apparatus requiring or benefiting from clean air flow, for example internal combustion engines, heat exchangers, air compressors, heating and air conditioning systems, and total airflow applications for ventilation systems.
The air cleaner apparatus of the present invention offers significant improvements in debris removal and provides positive airflow, as compared with conventional atmospheric ejective air cleaners. Instead of depending on the available airflow to drive the mechanical separation process, which adds to the restriction of the system, the present invention delivers efficient air cleaning while adding no additional restriction to the apparatus on which the air cleaner is installed. In fact, the air cleaner apparatus of the present invention may add to an air intake system, minimizing or eliminating overall initial restriction.
In accordance with the present invention, a fan assembly draws debris-laden air into a housing in which the debris-laden air is rotated so that centrifugal forces act on the debris. These centrifugal forces then discharge the heavier-than-air debris out of one of two strategically placed outlet orifices, back into the atmosphere. The air cleaner apparatus maintains a positive air pressure on the downstream side, such as a filter media, an internal combustion engine, a heat exchanger core, or a ventilation system. Therefore, the air cleaning apparatus of the invention does not suffer performance losses associated with cyclic airflow demands, like other air cleaners do.
An air cleaner device according to the present invention includes a housing enclosing a fan for drawing debris-laden air into the housing and moving the debris-laden air in a rotating flow pattern that stratifies the debris-laden air, with the heavier particles of debris in the outermost orbits of the rotating flow pattern. The thus-cleaned air encounters an exit gap which causes the air flow to back up, and so causing debris forward of the fan to enter a first, front isolation region from which it is ejected through a front exit orifice and debris to the rear of the fan to enter a second, rear isolation region from which it is ejected through a rear exit orifice. An air outlet of the device permits the cleaned air to flow from the apparatus to an application for the cleaned air.